فصل 05 - بخش 11

5

They drove to the Bolton place, where they found Yune and Claude sitting on the front porch steps and drinking coffee. Lovie was in her little side garden, weeding from her wheelchair with her oxygen bottle in her lap, a cigarette in her mouth, and a big straw sunhat clapped on her head.

‘All good last night?’ Ralph asked.

‘Fine,’ Yune said. ‘Wind was a little noisy out back, but once I went to sleep, I slept like a baby.’

‘What about you, Claude? Everything okay?’

‘If you mean did I feel like there was someone creeping around again, I didn’t. Ma, either.’

‘Well, there might be a reason for that,’ Alec said. ‘Cops in Tippit had a home invasion last night. Man of the house heard breaking glass, grabbed his shotgun, scared the guy off. Told the police the intruder had black hair, a goatee, and plenty of tattoos.’

Claude was outraged. ‘I never budged out of my bedroom last night!’

‘We don’t doubt that,’ Ralph said. ‘It could be the guy we’ve been looking for. We’re going to Tippit to check it out. If he’s gone – and he probably is – we’ll fly back to Flint City and try to figure out what to do next.’

‘Although I don’t know what more we can do,’ Howie added. ‘If he’s not hanging around here and if he’s not in Tippit, he could be anywhere.’

‘No other leads?’ Claude asked.

‘Not a one,’ Alec said.

Lovie rolled over to them. ‘If you-all decide to go home, stop in and see us on your way to the airport. I’ll make up some sammitches from the leftover chicken. Long as you don’t mind eatin it twice, that is.’

‘We’ll do that,’ Howie said. ‘Thank you both.’

‘It’s me should be thanking you,’ Claude said.

He shook hands with them all around, and Lovie opened her arms to give Holly a hug. Holly looked startled, but allowed it. ‘You come back, now,’ Lovie whispered in her ear.

‘I will,’ Holly replied, hoping it was a promise she would be able to keep.